Learn about the characteristics, origins, formation, and uses of rivers.

Rivers are essential to every aspect of civilization, yet how many understand how they work? Fleming takes readers on a journey along our planet's waterways, providing a scientist's reflections on the profound interrelationships that rivers have with landscapes, ecosystems, and societies.

Learn about Earth's different types of landforms and bodies of water.

Geochemistry at the surface of the earth is dominated by two somewhat antagonistic forces: chemical reactions which attempt to attain a steady state (equilibrium) and geological movement of materials in time and space which changes the parameters that control chemical equilibrium. Another aspect that is extremely important to earth surface geochemistry is the effect of plants on the chemical and physical stability of materials (soils). Plant systems in fact work against the normal chemical changes (loss of silica, potassium, etc.) and the normal physical changes (stabilizing fine grained materials (clays) in the surface zones to avoid erosion). Biological effects are clearly seen in redox effects in the various parts of the earth surface movement cycle; soil formation, stream transport, sedimentation. This book attempts to outline these different parameters and their interactions as they affect earth surface geochemistry in order to give a better understanding of movement and accumulation of elements at the surface of the earth.

Essential to life, water can be found in different forms all around us. This important book explains how the Earth's supply of water moves from bodies of water, to the atmosphere, and to land in a process called the water cycle . Accessible text and detailed images help explain such processes as transpiration, evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, as well as the important roles of sunlight and gravity in the water cycle. Feature boxes highlight examples of the ways in which human activity creates shortages of clean water and interferes with the water cycle. Readers are encouraged to find ways to take action and find solutions.

The present volume "Rare Earth Elements" A 6b deseribes in its first part the origin, mode of oeeurrenee, and behavior of Y and/or RE elements in the hydrosphere and atmos phere. Separately for marine and non-marine environments (surfaee, subsurfaee, mineral, and thermal waters), the behavior of RE (ineluding Y) in the hydrosphere eomprises espeeially the relationship between eontentleomposition and the ehemistry of water, and the processes aeting during migration, removal, and preeipitation are outlined; the influenee of biologieal material is mentioned. Behavior of RE in the atmosphere involves mainly transport, regional differenees, and temporal variations as weil as removal by preeipitation; the anthropogenie influenee is only outlined. The seeond part of this volume treats, partly in a more summary manner, the eosmo and geoehemieal eyeles and the balance of Y and/or RE elements. The relationship between geodynamie position and type of magmatism, as weil as the geoehemieal variations in the geospheres, especially mantle and erust of the earth, are deseribed in greater detail.